how to keep shoes on horse!!!!??

noblesteed

noblesteed

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Arrgh! I am at my wits end with horsey's feet. He keeps getting his shoes off! He was shod with a new set last Tuesday and has managed to dislodge a back shoe - 6 days it lasted! He had 1 month off work in June due to a bruised sole cos he pulled a shoe off. Every couple of weeks he removes one somehow. The farrier is getting mighty fed up. I even bought a spare hoof boot so horsey can be hacked when he loses a shoe.
I turn him out and ride him in overreach boots on every foot. I clean his feet and check them every day. He has decent feet, not crumbly ones.
The farrier blames the horse for being a prat and standing on himself. I don't know what to do.
Perhaps barefoot is an option? Does it take a long time to harden feet off and would I still be able to hack? (I hack 4-5 times a week)
 
i would go barefoot, but not on the road apart maybe once or so. a horse with no shoes on a road can is ok every so often but rather than that it will rack his feet. ride in fields or arena or by rubber boots for roads.
 
Binky he has rubber matting in his stable but he is out 24/7 for the summer.

I need to road hack as we have no arena, so come the winter that's all we do. Is road-hacking a no-go for barefooters?
A set of hoof boots would be possible however.
 
^ My mare coped fine with no shoes. She was in full work, affiliated dressage, XC, showjumping etc and hacked for at least an hour per day also with no problems :) Same with our cobby, he's hacked out for ours each day unshod and never gone a day foot sore.

Obviously not saying all horses cope nor am I barefoot fanatic...I usually have a all-round shod TB myself! Who is consequently barefoot tbf as his feet were going crappy from the heat and cracking, so I whipped them off and he's just started hacking also and went showjumping and showing fine on the weekend barefoot :)
 
Kevin Bacons Hoof Dressing - it is magical stuff

My friends horse was shod in front, bare foot behind while out of work. The back feet were in awful condition due to recent dry weather/hard ground.

5 days of daily application and every foot was in perfect condition. They looked really healthy and solid. She stopped loosing her front shoes too!

Also suggest leaving over reach boots on full time - but remember to remove and check regularly to check for rubs/sores.
 
If you want to give it a go, give it a go :) Obviously I'd give a couple of weeks turned out not ridden to initially get him used to not having protection of the shoe...then gradually work him on a soft surface to start with and just work up from there going on how he copes with footiness. Some can adapt and really cope well barefoot....some just can't.
If you're finding it doesn't work [bear in mind it will take months to fully transition], then maybe try shoes again and see if it's any better, or use boots, or look into the various other options available to buy and try now :)

Back on subject to original post:
Our youngster constantly used to pull his shoes off on rubber matting, he knew how to paw at it, hook the edge and pull it off the little git!

Other horse who pulled them off....turned out his feet were just so out of line from previous farrier, his angles were off and the foot wasn't equal and balanced...so it may be worth getting a second opinion on your horses feet from another farrier to see if it could just be a simple matter of getting the foot balance right again. We swapped and all of a sudden, the pulled shoes stopped. :)
 
Haha Starzaan perving on her farrier ;)

I'd get a better farrier....! He really shouldnt be ripping shoes off that regularly.
 
You could try a lighter section of steel The current shoes may be too heavy for the hoof.

And i would speak to the farrier about foot balance. Is it the same shoes or any at random?
 
My three, all TB or TBx, all came out of shoes and carried on working as if nothing had happened. They all had okay feet, I just took the shoes off because I don't like them. They now all have better feet. Definitely try the barefoot route, but be warned, it may turn you into a total hoof-obsessed geek.
You could start with Pete Ramey's website, Jaime Jackson's books, 'Feet First' by Barker and Braithwaite (UK-based) and the UKNHCP forum. There are also a lot of posts on here about barefoot, and roadwork generally isn't a problem.
 
noblesteed said:
Lol Starzaan!

I wouldn't mind so much if my farrier WAS easy on the eye!!!! Do you want to send me your farrier instead?? :P
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No thank you, I'm quite alright with him here thank you very much!!!

I think the only real solution to your problem is to send him to me.

Nuff Said!

(and Flamehead, I am NOT perving, I'm being dazzlingly witty and charming and sophisticated, alright knobber??!) :D
 
Off with the shoes!! lol

I hack my warmblood x thoroughbred out almost everyday. Tarmac is the best conditioning tool you can ask for for newly unshod hooves!

If you need more useful hints and advice pm me x
 
I'm in a similar position with my boy, but he has very thin hoof walls. He gets a shoe off every week and unfortunately always manages to stand on a nail and end up with an abscess. In the last 9 weeks he's only been ridden 3 times due to abscess lameness. Today I made the decision to go barefoot for 8-12 months to give his hooves a break from nail holes and allow some time for new hoof growth. I'm measuring him up for hoof boots tomorrow and I'm already becoming quite interested in keeping him barefoot if it works out for him as so many people have posotive experiences of going barefoot.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do x
 
Get a better farrier would be my answer too! Alternatively go barefoot or have 2/4 shoes done. My cob grips the road better barefoot but I only have fronts on him to stop them chipping.
 
I would be tempted to try barefoot if I were you, loosing shoes that much sounds a nightmare! My mares shoes have now been off a week (after an awful lot of ummng and ahing!), I can't believe that she hasn't had a single footy moment since!! Though from what I have read, we are lucky with this, and it isn't normally the case. Her diet has been changed to remove all sugar (other than the green stuff, which is limited by strip grazing). This forum is really handy http://uknhcp.myfastforum.org/forum2.php
She has only lost one shoe while I have had her and she wasn't sore at all while waiting to have it put back on, so I was happy that even if she was a little sore, it shouldn't be anything too much. She just had our farrier take her shoes off and give her a trim. So far so good! We have walked out on the road each day, and have hacked out for about 1 1/2 hrs and she has been lunged. No heat and always a v happy horse - as long as she is comfortable and happy, who am I to question it! With that work in a week she has barely scuffed her feet - no wearing away issues here! Anyone who tells you that roads are bad are wrong, thankfully! Walking out on hard surfaces is a really important and useful part of conditioning the feet - it will encorage the hoof to grow better quality horn as it is being stimulated. You will not wind up with bloody stumps of legs instead of hooves!
These are other good websites if you fancy getting more info
http://www.performancebarefoot.co.uk/page61.html
http://www.barefoothorses.co.uk/page7.html
Feet First by Jamie Jackson (I think!) is v interesting reading, wether you decide to go barefoot or not.
Hth, all the info is facinating!
 
glosgirl said:
My mares shoes have now been off a week (after an awful lot of ummng and ahing!), I can't believe that she hasn't had a single footy moment since!! Though from what I have read, we are lucky with this, and it isn't normally the case. She has only lost one shoe while I have had her and she wasn't sore at all while waiting to have it put back on, so I was happy that even if she was a little sore, it shouldn't be anything too much. She just had our farrier take her shoes off and give her a trim. So far so good! QUOTE]

That's fantastic, you have a very good farrier. I just think that if a horse can't walk from one side of the yard to the other comfortably without shoes then there is something seriously wrong, a horse that can't do this isnt 100% sound to me, rider or no rider. Well done you! x
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We are v lucky with our farrier! So pleased that so far things are going well. I have been wanting to see how she does barefoot for ages, but the number of peers who think I must be cruel or stupid really made me question myself. So I read heaps! Very helpful reading as it also made me look v closely at what I was feeding her, so it has improved more than just what I choose to be done to her feet! My mare has shown that it suits her as she is striding out wonderfully and she is comfortbale. No better proof than that!!
 
My TB used to lose shoes on fortnightly basis ( he's now barefoot but that's a whole other story). He's a bit special even managing to remove both back shoes in his stable.

To keep shoes on I found the following techniques best.
In the summer when it wasn't muddy I used Boa hoof boots over his shoes. They were too slippery when the field got muddy in the winter.
So I used double overreach boots.
Layer 1 a pair of no turn neoprene boots fitted very snugly.
Layer 2 over these a pair of normal rubber overreach boots but 2 sizes too big if you can get them.
 
I'm afraid I agree with the others who say get another farrier. I know one particular farrier in my area and every horse I know that he shoes loses shoes before they are due. two horses have had lamenesses caused by his incorrect shoeing. Nuff said.

I do like kevin bacon hoof dressing though and it's great that you can get it in a liquid form now too so that it is easier to use in winter ;)
 
By all means try barefoot, but you MUST research first and realise what is involved in having a working barefoot horse - don't just expect to take off the shoes and go out for a long hack and have no problems.

However, back feet usually condition more quickly than front feet because, ironically, they are doing more work that the front feet (according to my trimmer) and of course they are pushing off, not having the weight of the horse landing.

There are some good suggestions for reading and background already suggested.
 
Sorry, I really disagree with barefoot and I think you should find a new farrier. Frank was throwing shoes every other week or so, since we've moved to Glos and started using Shaun Hankinson he's lost one shoe in a year and a half, and Shaun (bless him) came out THE NEXT MORNING (i.e. less than 12 hours) and fitted it back on. Amazing bloke, amazing farrier. Wholeheartedly recommend him for someone looking for a farrier in Gloucestershire.
 
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